maybe I'm not phrasing this well. point 1 is asking what does the term death by a kiss actually mean since it cannot mean that God "kissed" someone and they died since that would be an anthropomorphic understanding. So if it doesn't mean that what does it mean? I further assume it doesn't mean simply died a painless death for if so what is the need for a specialized term?
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not-allowed to change my nameJun 14 '12 at 0:58

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I heard that it's such a great revelation of Hashem that the neshama gets overwhelmed and becomes unified with Hashem, thereby leaving the body behind
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Shmuel BrinJun 14 '12 at 1:03

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And to add to what vram said, the simple term for "painless death" is "like a hair out of milk" (I can't find the gemara, but I believe it was in Berachos).
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b aJun 14 '12 at 1:04

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@ShmuelBrin i have heard similar but don't have a source. I also think that if this were the case it would apply to others besides those three i mentioned
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not-allowed to change my nameJun 14 '12 at 1:04

2 Answers
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As pointed out in the comments, the Talmud (Berachot 8A) says that there are 903 types of death in the world, and the least painful one is a kiss. From the way Rashi explains it, it appears that the pain refers to the separating of the soul from the body.

The Talmud explains that the Kiss of Death is likened to removing a hair from milk. This does not require any forceful separation at all.

The Talmud (Baba Batra 17A) (and Rashi) explain that "The Kiss of Death" means that G-d Himself took their soul, not the Angel of Death. The Talmud their says that 6 were not killed by the Angel of Death, but rather G-d Himself took their souls. They are:

Avraham

Yitzchak

Yaakov

Moshe

Aharon

Miriam

The Rambam at the end of Volume 3, Chapter 51 of his Guide to the Perplexed, explains that this form of death is when the prophets meditate so much about the greatness of G-d, and their desire to cleave to G-d is so strong that their soul leaves their body.

He says all prophets had a lower form of this, but Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam experienced the epitome of this, which is why the Talmud singles them out. (I'm assuming he doesn't mention the Avot, because he's focusing on the verse "By the mouth of G-d" which is where the Talmud learns that Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam passed away in this manner.)

In the spirit of Rambam's interpretation, Abarbanel compares the phenomenon to someone who is immersed in deep concentration and doesn't even notice that his turban (or kippa) fell off. Moshe was so deep in nevua and Godly connection that he didn't even notice that body "fell off" of his soul.
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jakeJun 14 '12 at 2:26

in Devarim 32:50, G-d told Moshe that he would die as Aron, right? I found this

Just as your brother Aaron died: [God said to Moses:] “Die with the same death that you witnessed and longed for, that Moses removed Aaron’s first [i.e., upper] garment and dressed Eleazar [Aaron’s son] with it. Then, Moses did the same with the second garment, and the third. Aaron then saw his son in his glory [of his new office]. Moses then said to him: ”Aaron my brother! Go up onto the couch,“ and Aaron went up. ”Stretch out your hands,“ and Aaron stretched [out his hands]. ”Stretch out your legs,“ and Aaron stretched [out his legs]. ”Close your eyes,“ and Aaron closed [his eyes]; ”Close your mouth,“ and Aaron closed [his mouth], and he passed away. Thereupon, Moses said, ”Fortunate is the one who dies a death like this!" - [Sifrei 32:49]